Discover CharlestonAmerican College of The Building Arts: New Home in a Former Trolley Barn

Charleston SC is blessed with some of the finest architecture in the USA, one reason why it retains its popularity with a constant influx of tourists and new residents. Maintaining those properties in this modern era is a task and one where we are very lucky to have our own renowned college providing a stream of craftsmen educated in the necessary skills.  Doubly lucky to have retained strong local support to grow an institution that will this week move into newly renovated premises at the site of the former city Trolley Barn on upper Meeting Street.  

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” ― Saint Francis of Assisi

When Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston as a Category 4 storm in 1989, the destruction was unprecedented. In the aftermath of the storm, it became evident that there was a scarcity of skilled artisans who were desperately needed to restore, rebuild and repair the beautiful iron, plaster and wood structures, as well as masonry and stone works, in and around the city. People trained in the traditional building arts were not only few and far between, but also their skills were dying due to a lack of training. Thus the genesis for creating an institution to provide the training necessary for the building arts, interwoven with a liberal arts education.

This goal was realized with a non-profit designation and the establishment in 1999 of the School of the Building Arts (SOBA). The school gained college status with licensing to award baccalaureate of applied science degrees by the State of South Carolina and became the American College of the Building Arts in 2005. The Oct. 20th Grand Reopening of the rehabilitated city Trolley Barn, c. 1897, as our new campus marks a milestone in the history of preservation in America. As the nation’s only school dedicated solely to educating artisans consolidates all of its academic and outreach programs under one roof. The beautiful building provides ideal learning facilities and state-of-the-art technology, both of which bode favorably for its pending accreditation.

NOTE:  Luxury Simplified has benefited greatly from the talents of many ACBA Graduates we have employed on historic restoration work downtown from grand mansions like the Gadsden House to humble dependencies and carriage houses plus several pieces of hand-crafted furniture in our own office at 95 Broad St.